Liberalisation taking away people's rights

Statement by civil society organisations in the country who met in Nyanga,
27-30 July to discuss globalisation, bilateral and multilateral trade issues

We, the trade and economic justice activists from various civil society
organisations in Zimbabwe, including the media, representatives of the
business sector, academics, farmers and peasant movements, labour, students,
consumer movements met in Nyanga to review post-Cancun developments
especially negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the
Economic Partnership Agreements with the EU. We note that these have got
far-reaching implications on national economies, people's livelihoods and
the role of the state as a provider of basic social services: health,
education, water, transport, food etc.

We observed that Africa is under siege and experiencing re-colonisation
through corporate-led globalisation being championed by economic and
financial institutions: The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
and the WTO.

The WTO has emerged as one of the most powerful and influential
international institutions since its establishment in 1995 and has set the
legal framework for multilateral rules not only on strictly trade issues but
also with regard to other dimensions like services, intellectual property
and agriculture. The interests of the WTO does not only lie on its
regulation and monitoring of trade agreements between and amongst member
countries, but also on the fact that its agenda extends into domestic policy
forcing national policies to be WTO compliant.

These developments plus the current Economic Partnership Agreements
negotiations between the EU and Africa have negative implications on
national economies.

For Africa and Zimbabwe in particular, the notion that "people first before
profits" should be the basis on which the country must negotiate.

What are the implications of trade agreements on the ordinary people?

The meeting noted that for Zimbabwe Agriculture (which is one of the issues
at the centre of controversy at the WTO negotiations) contributes 17% to the
country's GDP, employs 26% of the total labour force and contributes 33% to
the foreign currency earnings.

· Further more, agriculture is unique in that it touches on the very
roots of the existence of people. It provides for food security and
sovereignty of the people

· because agriculture is the source of livelihoods for the people,
the issue of the decline in commodity prices means that the survival of the
people is actually threatened hence the need to address this issue

· agriculture is the means to industrialisation. There is a need to
develop the agro-processing sector in order to realise the full potential of
the agriculture sector

· Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are being promoted by the
North to extract greater profits from the agricultural sector in the South,
consequently driving people from the south out of the production chain hence
there is need to employ the precautionary principle

In the context of the on-going land reform programme, it was strongly felt
that a discourse on supply-side constraints should be initiated. This would
determine whether this was an adequate response to corporate driven
globalisation and kick-starting a developmental strategy that meets the
needs of the local market first as opposed to export led growth.

The meeting reaffirmed its opposition to:

· further liberalisation of the services sector in a manner that is
tantamount to surrendering sovereignty in policy formulation. Zimbabwe has
made commitments in the tourism, communications and financial services
sectors

· Negotiations on the New Issues (Competition Policy, Investment
Policy, Government Procurement and Trade Facilitation). In Geneva most
members now agree that the first three issues be dropped from the Doha work
programme. However, on Trade Facilitation it was agreed to work on the
modalities before negotiations can begin on the basis of explicit consensus.

· further commitments on the liberalisation of industrial goods (Non
Agricultural Market Access). Already the domestic industry sector of the
country has suffered under the trade liberalisation policies prescribed by
the IMF and the World Bank in the early 1990s.

· fast track negotiations on the Economic partnership Agreements with
the EU. There is need to slow down the EPA negotiations process. CSOs have
been campaigning for a NO TO EPAs strategy and this workshop has reaffirmed
this position.

Way forward

On the question "What is the way forward?" it was agreed that the
determining factor in the whole process is national self-determination. This
should be the main strategy of fighting the unequal system and it will
involve:

· the need to deconstruct the dominant ideology of neo-liberalism
which holds that the free market principles are fundamental to development.
This ideology is promoted by the World Bank, IMF and the WTO. We should
centre our development options whose foundation should be a domestic demand
driven strategy

· There is a need to strengthen trade negotiators' capacity to fully
analyse the implications of regional and multilateral trade agreements and
work out holistic negotiating strategies. This must include all stakeholders
including the private sector, civil society organisations, government
officials, the media and workers representatives (a process that is already
in motion)

· There is need to protect local infant industries and all other
established industries from unfair competition brought about by
liberalisation

· There is need to strengthen local industries first. The government
should give incentives to local producers and manufacturers especially in
the agro-processing industries for value added goods. There should also be a
beneficiation mechanism for the mineral and natural resources the countries
are endowed with.

· Regional integration to fight empire-led integration and
fragmentation of Africa. In that sense Southern African countries should
engage in building a regional strategy in all sectors e.g. Regional
industrial strategy, agricultural strategy, rural development strategy etc.

· Policy on science and technology, based on indigenous resources and
knowledge systems

· The government and relevant stakeholders should look at the
deprived and marginalised sections of the society not just from a welfare
perspective but from an empowering one. This means building on the
creativity and energy of the people. Concretely, it means putting effective
resources (knowledge, money, institutions, infrastructure, etc,) in the
hands of small farmers, small and medium scale enterprises, indigenous
business-people that produce for the domestic market, indigenous scientists
and technicians, and so on.

· There should be simplified trade terminology so that information is
easily understood and absorbed by a wider audience.

The Workshop Participants were:

Dewa Mavhinga
Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development

Dumisani Gandhi
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe

Tendai Makwavarara
Labour and Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe

Nkululeko Sibanda
Zimbabwe Youth Democracy Trust

Didymus Maramwidze
Zimbabwe National Association of Students Unions

Rutendo Kambarami
MWENGO

Juliet Sithole
General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe

Chiedza Musakambeva
Zimbabwe Women's Resources Centre Network

Tanyaradzwa Furusa
Zimbabwe Regional Environment Organisation

Paul Nyakazeya
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists

Ndamu Sandu
Zimbabwe Independent

Walter Muchinguri
The Herald

Collen Gwiyo
Zimbabwe Bankers Association Workers Union

Dennis Madzete
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries

Lovegot Tendengu
Farm Development Trust

Charity Manyeruke
Institute of Development Studies

Thomas Deve
Mwengo

Joy Mabenge
Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development

Irene Sithole
Women's Action Group

Naome Chakanya
Labour and Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe

Riaz Tayob
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Farirai Mafemba
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Rangarirai Machemedze
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Ludwig Chizarura
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Elijah Munyuki
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Jean Kanengoni
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Sibusiso Sibanda
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Richard Kamidza
Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations
Institute

Dr. M. Masiiwa
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

Tendai Tapfumaneyi
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

Mthulisi Mathuthu
Ecumenical Documentation and Information Centre in Southern Africa

Ibrahima Aidara
Consumers International

Nessie Golakai
Consumers International